Long before Sachin Tendulkar and the IPL made it cool to wear Indian cricket apparel, basketball jerseys and tshirts from America's National Basketball Association (more popularly known as NBA) were a part of the uniform for college going jocks in Indian metros. This was true as far back as two decades ago when actual NBA programming was infrequent and the majority of urban youth knew key players like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson more from their cameos in Michael Jackson music videos.

Over the years, basketball has remained a niche sport in India. Making it less so is one of the key challenges facing David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA. After its official launch in India two years ago, NBA is hoping a partnership with the channel that hosts the IPL will give the sport some crossover viewership. Stern admits, "The Indian audience is not as familiar with the sport but that's our job. We have to work harder."

Stern is no stranger to an uphill slog when it comes to popularising NBA. It was something he found himself doing three decades ago. At the time, basketball was a bit of a laggard in America. "We dealt with issues of race, drugs and economics and found our way through all those problems. Today , we are the total of our responses to the changes we navigated," says Stern.

The NBA didn't set out with a well established goal and blueprint he says; its main objective was to stay in business. But over the last 30 years, it has helped the creation of sports marketing. Nike signed on players like Michael Jordan and kick-started a wave of highly paid, high profile global brand ambassadors . The sport was helped along by the Olympics in 1992 where American fans finally got a chance to see their dream team play together on a global stage. In media terms, NBA moved from a relatively small four million households to 100 million plus satellite across America and is currently seen in 215 countries and 50 languages across the globe.

Having bet early on digital media — nba.com began in 1995 — it's now reaping the rewards. Says Stern, "We are the largest sport by far when you add up Facebook, Twitter and YouTube approaching 400 million likes and followers." Sporting events are at the vanguard of the two screen strategy: a viewer watches a sport on TV and comments on it via a mobile device. Stern describes it candidly as "a combination of a great sport and a continuing soap opera. As a media property it has become enriched . As a brand it has become a place that sponsors want to associate with." When asked how NBA fares against the Super Bowl, Stern concedes the football franchise is a clear leader.

He says, "It's the number one programming in American history . 19 of the Top 20 all time rated TV events are Super Bowl. The ad rates are simply off the charts." However the NBA's finals are beginning to approach Super Bowl numbers. And at between $2 million and $3 million for a 30 second spot, it is not a cheap buy either. On Stern's watch, the number of NBA franchises has grown from 10 to 30 teams. The expansion is based on an analysis of each market . Speaking of his rules of thumb, Stern says, "It would have to be accessible to other cities so we could travel easily. And it needs a strong ownership group prepared to market it."

The NBA has been playing to 90% capacity audiences over the last nine years. "Nobody wants to go to a game where nobody else is," says Stern. There's always a list of American cities who want in. Stern observes, "There's a certain sense that getting a major league professional sports franchise greatly enhances the cultural life of a city. Some people say cities should have libraries and symphony halls. I say they should also have arenas." These facilities are not just about basketball but typically have a calendar that keeps them occupied 250 nights a year. "The Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen need a place to play," Stern says dryly.

NBA is now intent on building its brand in important but so far lukewarm markets like India. In a country where interest in the sport outpaces the infrastructure to play it in, Stern is pragmatic enough to realise the NBA cannot start with stadiums and arenas. He says, "Our strategy is to get the game played in the neighbourhood. The easiest infrastructure it needs is a relatively small paved space with a basket." The NBA and its sponsors like Nike and Adidas have been pushing the game via its best brand ambassadors : 22 current or former players have visited over the last eight years. It's working with NGO Magic Bus on NBA Cares, an outreach programme for underprivileged children . Says Stern, "To see hundreds of kids bouncing basketballs and wearing uniforms of NBA and other teams tells me there's a huge opportunity here."